


In The End

by Potterwatch97



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Angst with no happy ending, Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Character Death, Hurt No Comfort, Infinity War, M/M, Maybe a fix it, Not A Fix-It, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), but not really, no happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-26
Updated: 2016-11-26
Packaged: 2018-09-02 06:15:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8653906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Potterwatch97/pseuds/Potterwatch97
Summary: In the end it doesn’t matter.In the end, when it really comes down to it, no amount of laws or rules or regulations or Sokovia Accords are going to stop them from doing what they need to do.No amount of disagreement is going to stop Tony’s New Avengers and Steve’s Secret Avengers from doing what is right.In the end it doesn’t matter who signed and who didn’t, because when it comes down it, when it comes down to saying ‘fuck it all’ and letting the heroes do what needs to be done even at the risk of collateral damage or following regulation at the risk of 7 billion lives, even politicians are smart enough to realize that there’s not much of a choice there.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I was having a lot of SteveTony feels and this is apparently how I cope with things so I'm sorry in advance

In the end it doesn’t matter.

In the end, when it really comes down to it, no amount of laws or rules or regulations or Sokovia Accords are going to stop them from doing what they need to do.

No amount of disagreement is going to stop Tony’s New Avengers and Steve’s Secret Avengers from doing what is right.

In the end it doesn’t matter who signed and who didn’t, because when it comes down it, when it comes down to saying ‘fuck it all’ and letting the heroes do what needs to be done even at the risk of collateral damage or following regulation at the risk of 7 billion lives, even politicians are smart enough to realize that there’s not much of a choice there.

* * *

 

Things are difficult at first, it’s hard to work again with people you haven’t seen in years. It’s hard to trust people you’re not really sure you ever trusted to begin with. It’s hard to look at someone you considered a friend, even if they apparently never extended the same consideration.

“You should have told me” _,_ he screams.

“I was trying to protect you _,”_ he screams back.

“You were trying to protect _yourself_.”

“I didn’t want to hurt you!”

Wheels squealing. His mother, screaming, pleading, crying, _Howard.. please.. no please... Howard!_ Screaming. Choking. Gasping. Silence.

_You know whats about to happen. Say something. If you don't, you'll regret it.  
_

“You should have told me.”

Wash, rinse, repeat.

* * *

 

It’s Fury, surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, who pulls their heads out of their asses.

“We have bigger problems here than your prides, your egos, whatever. You don’t need to forgive each other. You just need to work together. These people are terrified and you’re the only ones who can do anything. They trust you to do this. If you can’t trust each other at least trust that you both want the same thing and _fight_ for it, goddammit.”

They work well together but it’s still tough. On the field their like a machine, as if nothing had changed. The played off each others strengths and made up for each others weaknesses. Off the field they hardly speak. Longing glances full of regret and hurt. Promises of things that were never meant to be.

* * *

 

In the end Tony stands next to Steve, looking up at the hole in the sky and the Chitauri and the Valkyrie pouring out of it, thinks of the team scattered and outnumbered, out powered, outgunned and afraid and thinks, _I told you so._

He’s never wished more he had been wrong, _for once let me wrong about this._

_I told you._

* * *

 

In the end the get the gauntlet. In the end they have a chance, a chance to end this with the world still mostly intact and the rest of the team getting out alive.

Fury. Matt. Gamora. _Clint._

"This gauntlet is the only hope we have of ending this _,"_ Natasha says, eyeing the thing with distrust and anger and disgust and yet there’s _hope_ in her eyes.

“I’ll do it,” he feels the words leave his lips before he has the chance to really think about it. He can do this. He needs to this, This feels right. _This is what’s right._

“No _,”_ Steve argues, “no, Thor is stronger, Thor knows Thanos, the gauntlet’s been on Asgard for years before now, you don’t have to-”

“Thor has to be around to run Asgard when this is over,” Tony says. “Sam, Carol, and Stephen can’t go that high without suffocating, The Guardians are still on the moon, and Rhodey’s been down for the count since they knocked out his braces. I’ve spent months studying the stones, I know what to do. Let me do this.”

Steve argues a bit more but Tony knows he’s just being stubborn at this point, buying himself time to come up with a plan that doesn’t include losing members of his team, _more_ members of his team.

The others leave and Tony prepares himself for what could potentially be the his last moments, his last flight, his final moments as Iron Man, _the last great act of defiance of Anthony Stark._

_Don’t waste your life, Stark._

_“_ Tony,” a voice says.

He turns and suddenly Steve is there, hands on this face, on his neck, his arms, every part of Tony’s body he can reach like he’s trying to memorize the feel of it , the shape, everything that makes Tony _Tony._

His lips are on Steve’s before he can really think about it and Steve is giving back as good as he got, the kiss all teeth and tongue, trying to convey every regret, every wish, every broken promise and broken hear and what could have beens and what never will bes.

Steve pulls back and rests his forehead on Tony’s, eyes closed as a few tears slipped through, breathing as though he was afraid he would never be able to breathe again. Tony looks at him and _aches_ his chest pounds and for a moment he thinks _fuck the world. Let it burn. Let me stay with him, just this once._

Looks at Steve and thinks, _God, what have we done with our lives and what did it get us?_

 _“_ You should have told me,” Tony says, because he’s a little shit and he can’t let shit go for a fucking minute, _are you incapable of letting go of your ego for one god damn second?_

Steve somehow doesn’t seem surprised that that is the thing Tony chose to say in a minute like this. He kisses him again, gentler this time, hands cupping his face and thumbs stroking his cheekbones.

“I should have told you.”

In the end the plan works. He fires the gauntlet into the portal, and just like with the nuke, the Chitauri collapse, the Valkyrie fall, the portal begins to close and he can see Thanos slowly be destroyed by the sheer power. _It’s over,_ he thinks, _we won._

And then the gauntlet overloads and explodes in his hands.

When Tony awakes he’s falling. The arc reactor in the suit is down and he can’t hear FRIDAY’s voice in his ear and he doesn’t know how long he’s been falling or how long he has until he hits but all he can think is, _this is it._

Voices are screaming in his ear because his comm apparently, things like _don’t worry Tony,_ and _we’re on our way,_ and _someone catch him whoever is closest someone catch him._

Tony closes his eyes and thinks of Rhodey falling during the war and wonders if Rhodey was ever this calm. If he _knew_ like Tony knows.

He thinks of Pepper, falling into the flames while he watches hopelessly, helplessly as she dies right in front of him.

He thinks of Jarvis, the human Jarvis, and the way he’d call Tony _Young Sir_ and how he’d hold Tony when he was sick and made him smile after his father would shout and how he’d smiled while he cried as he told Tony that leukemia was not something you could fix with a machine and that he was ready to go if this is how the lord would take him.

He thinks of Aunt Peggy, of blood red lips and tinkle like laugh as she would play soldiers with him and always let him be Captain America, even if it meant she would have to play the big mean Nazis.

He thinks of his mother, the flowery scent of her perfume in his nose as she guided his small, clumsy hands over the piano and laughed when he would try to change the tune.

He thinks of his team and the people he’s saved as Iron Man, the people he killed, and the people he was too incompetent to help in time.

He thinks of Steve, his hands on his face, his lips pressed against his, he thinks of all the missed opportunities and the longing looks and the broken trust but he also thinks of the jokes and the laughter, the times when ego and pride and bullheadedness were pushed aside and he would smile at Steve and Steve would smile back--

_Don’t waste it, Stark. Don’t waste your life._

He smiles and closes his eyes as the calm washes over him and listens to the voices shouting in the background.

The last things he hears are the Hulks anguished roar and Steve screaming at Thor and Thor screaming back

“ _I’m not going to make it, I’M NOT GOING TO MAK--”_

* * *

 

All the remaining Avengers are reinstated and the Sokovia Accords are repealed and Maria Hill helps found SWORD and the world has a team of extraordinary people to fight the things regular people can’t.

In the end no amount of disagreement is going to stop Tony’s New Avengers and Steve’s Secret Avengers from working together, fighting together to do what is right.

Every Sunday Steve goes to see them in their plots in the cemetery, continues to fight with the Avengers every day to remind himself that their sacrifice was for a reason, and it’s because of their sacrifice that the world keeps on turning, that the world is safe once again. For now.

And every Sunday Steve stands in front of his grave and tries not to remember the sound of the crunch as he landed, the look of his suit, scorched and torn and destroyed in every way, tries to forget the empty, hollow look in his eyes as he removed the face plate from his helmet.

Tries not to remember the feel of warm lips against his, the facial hair rubbing against his fingers, tries not to remember the pain in his eyes, the betrayal, the raw _hurt_ that night in that bunker in Siberia.

Tries not to remember. He just wants to forget.

The Accords are gone, the Avengers are together again, Bucky’s conditioning is removed, and Steve is... Steve is...

_You should have told me._

_I should have told you._

In the end it doesn’t matter.

**Author's Note:**

> So sorry.


End file.
